An "atmosphere of lawlessness" in which Vineland police officers use excessive force and make illegal stops contributed to Phillip White's death in 2015, when police released a dog onto him on a residential street, a suit filed by White's family alleges.
The suit seeks $10 million in damages for White's mother, Pamela, and his children, Iyonna, 18, and Tyreese, 9. It was filed Monday in federal court in Camden.
Police stopped White, 32, after a man called 911 and said someone was screaming outside on Grape Street around 11 a.m. on March 31, 2015. Authorities said a scuffle ensued and that White reached for an officer's weapon, causing another officer to set a police dog on him.
The Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office, following an investigation that concluded in June this year, said the actions of Officers Louis Platania and Rich Janasiak were justified. The office said White died of Phencyclidine, or PCP, intoxication, which sent him into cardiac arrest.
The suit blames White's death on the dog and the officers. It alleges the police department failed to train officers about appropriate force and never reprimanded them for using too much.
Between 2009 and 2014, the department received 185 complaints of excessive force - none of which were sustained, the suit said.
Vineland Police Chief Timothy Codispoti did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
White was leaning on a chainlink fence when Platania approached him and asked if he was OK, according to both authorities and the suit.
Authorities said White then started banging on Platania's squad car and that Platania took him down to the pavement. The suit said White was walking away when Platania grabbed him.
While on the ground, authorities said, White grabbed Platania's belt, disengaged one safety level of his holster, and reached for his gun. Platania said he struck White in the face, but felt he was losing the struggle, so he asked Janasiak to release the dog.
The suit alleges White was unconscious, and that the dog "savagely attacked" him.
Authorities said the dog caused only "superficial injuries" to White. They said he went into cardiac arrest in an ambulance to Inspira Medical Center Vineland, where he was pronounced dead that day.
Stanley King, the attorney for White's mother, said Wednesday that White was "helpless, defenseless, and posing no threat and no resistance."
King pointed to a bystander's video recording of part of the incident. It showed Platania kneeling over and nearly on top of White, who lay in the street as the dog climbed on him. Platania then struck White several times.
"That was a totally unprovoked, savage attack" by police, King said.
An autopsy by the state medical examiner's office found PCP in White's system and listed the manner of death as accidental.
White grew up in Vineland and worked various jobs, including making bread at a Vineland industrial park.
mboren@phillynews.com
856-779-3829 @borenmc
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